52: Chapter 52 Public Transportation

After browsing through dozens of posts, Shi Yimin found that the descriptions on the forum were not much different from those in the newspaper.

Regarding the entire fraud gang dying, netizens had various opinions, with theories ranging from hired killers and gas leaks to it all being a coincidence.

However, Shi Yimin saw one comment among them claiming that the fire was related to the girl they had murdered and dumped.

And the news that all the items around the homestay were not damaged in the fire was spread by this same netizen.

Although many netizens said this was superstition and shouldn't be believed, Shi Yimin, having experienced two supernatural events, held a somewhat believing attitude toward this matter.

Shi Yimin wanted to find this netizen to understand the truth, but unfortunately, the account had already been deleted.

He checked for information about the girl the netizen mentioned, but there were very few posts about it.

He only knew that the girl had been found by patrolling Public Security Officers a few months before the fire, and when found, both of her kidneys were missing, and she had already lost her vital signs.

Shortly after, Tianhai City launched a vigorous crackdown on organized crime.

After putting down his phone, Shi Yimin realized that his back had been soaked in cold sweat without him noticing.

A cold wind blew by, causing Shi Yimin to shiver uncontrollably; he turned his head to look at the homestay in the distance, shrouded in darkness, feeling it more and more eerie the longer he looked.

"Ah!" Suddenly, Shi Yimin felt a large hand rest on his shoulder, and, already feeling suspicious and paranoid, he couldn't help but scream.

He turned his head sharply, only to find that it was the owner of the barbecue restaurant resting his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't look, brother. This matter happened several years ago. Even several groups of streamers have been inside, and let alone ghosts, they haven't even seen a ghost shadow. If you don't believe me, look at me; I've been running the shop here for several years, and nothing has happened!" The owner comforted Shi Yimin with a few words.

He did not laugh at Shi Yimin's reaction, because when he first learned about this matter, he had also been paranoid for over a month and even had thoughts of moving away.

It was just that later, because the rent in other places was too expensive, he didn't end up moving.

"Mm, mm." Shi Yimin came back to his senses, and looking at the owner's sincere eyes, he believed it a little more.

He took a sip of beer to calm his nerves; this was purely a case of being overly suspicious.

"Oh, looking at your ages, you two must be working people, right? Let me tell you, back in my day I was also..." Seeing Shi Yimin's timid appearance, the owner tactfully changed the subject.

After a few more bottles of beer, the fear in Shi Yimin's heart had long been driven away by the drunkenness.

By eleven o'clock, Cui Zhong, who still had a shred of sobriety left, was worried about work the next day and pulled Shi Yimin to leave.

The owner didn't force them to stay and generously waived the cost of their drinks.

"Boss, you're generous; we'll come back to your place next time." Shi Yimin paid the bill while swaying, his face flushed as he spoke to the owner.

"Alright then, next time you come, I'll give you two a discount!" The owner smiled, likely gaining two more repeat customers.

On the road, the two drunks supported each other and gradually walked away.

After walking for who knows how long, Shi Yimin could no longer hold back his churning stomach, so he leaned against a lamppost and vomited into the bushes by the roadside.

After vomiting, Shi Yimin felt much more relaxed. He lifted his head, squinted, and saw a bus stop not far away, so he supported Cui Zhong and walked toward it.

"Bus Stop 11? Why don't I remember there being this stop?" Upon arriving, looking at the number 11 hidden among the leaves, Shi Yimin mumbled with slurred speech.

Supporting Cui Zhong as they sat down, Shi Yimin, having sobered up slightly, finally remembered that he could hail a taxi, so he took out his phone to call for a ride.

After a few minutes, he hadn't managed to call a ride-hailing car, but instead, a bus slowly drove toward them.

Shi Yimin raised his head; the bus headlights were blindingly bright, and he couldn't tell at all what bus route it was.

The bus stopped slowly and opened its front door for them. The driver inside shouted at them, "Get on, young men. This is our last run for today."

"Okay!" With his mind in a chaotic mess, Shi Yimin didn't think much of it and, looking dazed, brought Cui Zhong onto the bus.

Perhaps because it was the last bus, there weren't many passengers; including them, there were only five people.

In the second row of seats at the back of the bus sat a couple, although the couple seemed a bit dim-witted, wearing thick hoodies on such a hot day.

Next to that couple sat a girl wearing long sleeves; her long hair was let down, covering her face, making it impossible to see what she looked like.

After curiously watching them for a while, Shi Yimin brought Cui Zhong toward the back.

"Sit here." At this moment, Cui Zhong suddenly murmured, raising his finger to point at the seat behind the girl.

"Forget it, we're drunk; let's not scare the young lady." Shi Yimin said to Cui Zhong, then pulled him to sit in the very last row.

Not long after sitting down, Shi Yimin felt his drunkenness rising, and his eyelids began to fight each other uncontrollably.

After struggling desperately against the sleepiness for a while, Shi Yimin eventually lost the battle and fell into a deep sleep.

"Ding-dong~ Kangle Homestay Station has arrived. Passengers getting off, please gather your luggage and belongings and exit from the back door."

In a daze, Shi Yimin seemed to hear the bus arrival announcement, and it also felt somewhat familiar.

He woke up groggily and turned his head to look out the window; it wasn't the scenery he was familiar with, and it wasn't time for him to get off yet.

After a simple judgment, Shi Yimin continued to lean against the back of the seat in front, licked his somewhat dry lips, and went back to sleep.

The bus stopped slowly, and eleven people who had already been waiting at the bus stop lined up and walked on.

They were like strange people; each of them was wrapped in thick clothing, with only their eyes exposed.

The first person to board seemed to notice something and walked toward where Shi Yimin and the other person were.

"Hmm?" At this moment, the girl in long sleeves suddenly spoke.

The strange person was attracted by the sound and turned to look over.

When he saw the girl in the back seat, his footsteps noticeably paused, and a flash of struggle crossed his eyes.

After a while, the strange person gave up the idea of going to the back and instead sat down in the middle seats of the bus.

"Ding-dong~ Station 44 has arrived. Passengers getting off, please... crackle... gather your... crackle... luggage and belongings..."

The bus announcement sounded like an old television with signal interference, emitting a harsh, crackling sound.

Shi Yimin was awakened by a burst of noise; he rubbed his eyes, opened his phone to take a look, and the time was exactly twelve o'clock at night.